Metallic boofiwg



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVM. G. REED, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

METALLIC ROOFING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,824, dated March 2 6, 1861.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLmM G. REED, of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metallic Roofing; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-- Figure l, is a transverse vertical section of my invention, taken in the line x. Fig. 2. Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same, t-aken 1n the line y. y. Fig. l. Fig. 3, a section of a portion of the same, taken in the line z. a. Fig. l. Fig. 4, a section of a portion ofthe same, taken in theline z. a. Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The chief dilhculty in constructing metallic roofs water-tight is in forming close joints which extend from the peak to the eaves or, in other words, in connecting the sides of the metal plates tightly together. /Vith the lapped top and bottom ends of the plates there has been no difliculty as the water readily passes over them but finds its way through the joints first mentioned.

The object of the within described invention is to obviate this diiiiculty and at the same time obtain a light, durable and economical roof.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents the walls of a building, and B, the roof which is constructed as follows: I employ tubular rafters C, which extend from the eaves or tops of the walls A, A, to the peak or ridge pole D, the rafters having any desirable pitch or degree of y inclination.` The rafters C, are each formed of two longitudinal parts a, a, which are of V-form in their transverse section and pro vided with iianches o, one at each side, the

' flanches of the two parts being parallel with eachother, as shown clearly in Fig. 4f. The rafters when the two parts a, a, are adjusted together are of quadrilateral form and are made of plate-iron swaged in the form described.

D, represents metal plates which may be perfectly smooth or corrugated. .The plates D, form the body of the roof and extend from one rafter to the other, the edges c, of

the plates'being fitted between the anches of the rafters and projecting beyond them into the interior of the rafters sufficiently so that said edges c, will admit of being bent upward to form gutters cl, within the rafters one at each side, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The plates D, are secured to the rafters C,

by bolts e, which pass through the flancfiese3Wi i b, b, and the plates D, as shown in FiO',

The ends of the plates D, overlap each other as shown at f, and the gutters CZ, within the rafters C, communicate with the eave troughs E, at the lower ends. of the rafters. By this arrangement it will be seen that in case any water should leak through or pass between the flanches of the upper parts a, of the rafters and the upper surfaces of the plates D, said water will be conveyed by the gutters d, to the troughs E, and a. perfectly water-tight roof will be obtained and also a very light and strong one as the rafters being tubular possess strength with lightness.

The rafters C, at their lower ends are attached to metal plates F, which are placed on the walls A, A, and are connected by stringers Gr. These stringers are tubular and are constructed of metal in precisely the same way as the rafters C, see Fig. 3.

The rafters C, near their upper parts are connected by tie-beams H, which may be formed the same as the lower parts a, of the rafters. The ridge pole D, is of tubular form and constructed of metal.

Any one or all of the tie-beams H, may be supported by truss-posts I, and the rafters C, may also be supported at abouttheir cen ters by longitudinal beams J, constructed like the tie-beams H, and supported by oblique posts K, from the stringers G, the posts K being constructed like the stringers Gr. v

I do not confine myself to the rectangular form of the rafters C, and the other tubular parts described, for the parts a, of the rafters may be of semi-circular instead of V- form in their transverse section and the same result obtained in either case so far as strength is concerned.

The tubular stringers Gr, and oblique posts K, in connection with the semi-tubular tiebeams H, and longitudinal beams. J, form very strong supports for the roof and at the same time form very light ones.

I do not claim broadly or in the abstract the employment or use of tubular posts or supports, braces and the like; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by to. forni gutters d, d, Within the rafters to Letters Patentoperate as and for the purpose set forth.

The tubular rafters C, When Constructed of tivo longitudinal parts a, a, provided With WM G' REED' 5 Hanehes b, b, and used in connection With lVitneses:

plates D, the edges or sides of which are se- ISAAC H. BUTTS, cured between the flanches b, and bent so as 4 C. H. REED. 

